After witnessing the murder of her son and watching her people being humiliated by Portuguese colonizers, Njinga will become a Queen and struggle for their liberation embodying the motto: those who stay fight to win.
Synopsis
The action takes place in the 17Th century, region of Ndongo and Matamba, present day Angola. A woman leads her kingdom in a 40 year long struggle for independence, and freedom for her people. Her name is Njinga. She will be known as Queen Njinga.
Our story begins in 1617, year of the death of Njinga’s father, king Kilwanji. He was a fierce fighter against the Portuguese, and their onslaught against the Ndongo, designed to capture slaves for sugar cane plantations in Brazil. His passing was to bring the succession issue to the fore. The board of makotas, responsible for choosing the future king, is torn between three choices: Nguri, a child and son of the king’s wife, and two children of a slave, Mbandi and Njinga, the sovereign’s favorite.
As the board withers, the ambitious Mbandi imposes his will and usurps power. Following his enthronement, and at the prodding of his principal advisor, or manilungo, Njinga’s son, Kanjila, and all the kings’ opponents are murdered, to minimize threats to his power. Njinga retreats to the Quindonga Islands, with her two sisters, her advisor Njali, and her entourage.
...For nearly a decade, Njinga extends her power in the territory, becoming the ‘Queen of Matamba ‘, and eventually splits from Jaga Kassanje. The Portuguese, harried by Njinga’s success, allied themselves with Dutch invaders also looking for slaves, to try and defeat the queen, but Njinga always escapes.
...In 1655, aged 73, Njinga sends a letter to a new governor, Luis Martins Chichorro, and that sets the tone for the end of the war between the two parties. The Portuguese eventually release Kambo, and the queen is reunited with her sister.
After nearly 40 years of struggle, queen Njinga can finally make peace with the Portuguese who recognize her as the true sovereign of Matamba and Ndongo.